The 24-story Claridge opened in 1930, in the middle of the Great Depression, and earned the nickname “Skyscraper by the Sea” for its Manhattan-style design and 370-foot height. It also had a bit of Atlantic City showmanship in its plumbing: it was billed as the first hotel with running hot and cold, fresh and saltwater.
The casino chapter came later. The casino opened in July 1981 as Del Webb’s Claridge Hotel and Casino, from a company that already ran Nevada casinos, including The Mint in downtown Las Vegas. So a Claridge chip carries a little Vegas DNA onto the Boardwalk.
The run didn’t last forever. Bally’s acquired the Claridge on December 30, 2002, as a hotel tower of Bally’s Atlantic City, and in 2014 new owners returned it to a stand-alone hotel without casino gambling. The tables are gone, but the tower still stands, and this chip is a piece of the years when the Claridge dealt its own cards.
The 24-story Claridge opened in 1930, in the middle of the Great Depression, and earned the nickname “Skyscraper by the Sea” for its Manhattan-style design and 370-foot height. It also had a bit of Atlantic City showmanship in its plumbing: it was billed as the first hotel with running hot and cold, fresh and saltwater.
The casino chapter came later. The casino opened in July 1981 as Del Webb’s Claridge Hotel and Casino, from a company that already ran Nevada casinos, including The Mint in downtown Las Vegas. So a Claridge chip carries a little Vegas DNA onto the Boardwalk.
The run didn’t last forever. Bally’s acquired the Claridge on December 30, 2002, as a hotel tower of Bally’s Atlantic City, and in 2014 new owners returned it to a stand-alone hotel without casino gambling. The tables are gone, but the tower still stands, and this chip is a piece of the years when the Claridge dealt its own cards.
